Approximately 250 million years ago, terrible lizards or dinosaurs started dominating Earth. Although their reign ended, the reptiles resurfaced and caught our hearts. From paleontologists' discoveries and kid's toys to heart-racing movies, we have countless sources to satisfy our curiosity about these creatures who once roamed the planet. We handpicked the dinosaur quotes below that satisfy our curiosity about these incredible creatures and our desire to understand the past.
Quick links to our selection of dinosaur quotes:
If you uncovered the first dinosaur bone, what animal would you think it belonged to? In his book, The Natural History of Oxford-shire, Robert Plot, an English naturalist, included his discovery of the first dinosaur fossil in 1677, which he proposed to be a giant human's femur.
After two more unearthed fossils, Richard Owen, another English naturalist, coined the term dinosaur from the greek words deinos and sauros, which mean terrible lizard, in 1841.
Then, after more than a century of further fossil discoveries, Luis Alvares, an American physicist, noticed an even layer of a rare element called iridium in a band of sedimentary rock during his expedition in Italy. Since chemical dating put the rock around 65 million years ago, Alvarez was the one who first hypothesized how an asteroid led to the dinosaur extinction.
After reading the dinosaur quotes below, learn more about the four centuries' worth of studies of these extinct creatures.
Related: For more about our natural world, you might like our selection of children's books about nature to inspire more curiosity and encourage exploration of our natural world.
"Sir Richard Owen coined the word dinosaur in 1841. The word 'dinosaur' meant 'terrible lizard.'"
"Fossils have richer stories to tell - about the lub-dub of dinosaur life - than we have been willing to listen to."
"The dinosaurs disappeared because they could not adapt to their changing environment."
"There's no environment I can think of that would have remained constant enough to preserve dinosaur DNA."
"Dinosaurs did not walk with humans. The evolutionary record says different. They gambled."
Paleontologists study ancient life forms by examining fossils. One is Robert T. Bakker, renowned for his contributions to dinosaur study.
He is best known for challenging the traditional view of dinosaurs, hypothesizing new ideas, such as feathered dinosaurs, long before the evidence existed. His passionate teachings have played a part in informing the dinosaur movies we watch today. So if you are enthusiastic about dinosaurs, look into this exciting career path.
Check out Bakker's book, The Dinosaur Heresies: A Revolutionary View of Dinosaurs (here on Amazon), after reading the dinosaur quotes below from him and other paleontologists.
"Dinosaurs are the best way to teach kids, and adults, the immensity of geologic time."
"As soon as I saw it, I decided I was going to spend the rest of my life studying dinosaurs."
"If we measured success by longevity, then dinosaurs must rank as the number one success story in the history of land life."
"It's very simple why kids are crazy about dinosaurs — dinosaurs are nature's Special Effects."
"Dinosaurs are the uncontested stars of paleontology."
What dinosaur specie did you first learn about when you were a kid? Probably, the ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex or the long-necked Brachiosaurus. Children and even kids at heart still enjoy toys, books, and movies about these extinct animals to this day. If you have kids, introducing them to dinosaurs can develop their persistence, attention, and level of processing information, according to a study on their conceptual interests1.
If you were obsessed with the creatures before, you will certainly relate to these dinosaur quotes.
"The things I wanted to be when I was a kid were an archeologist because of dinosaur bones; a garbage man, because they got to ride on the side of the trucks; and a writer."
"Every child thinks archaeology is about digging up land to find dinosaur remains and gold. I had the same intentions."
"I believe implicitly that every young man in the world is fascinated with either sharks or dinosaurs."
"As a kid, I knew all of the dinosaurs. It's one of those tragedies that I've forgotten what dinosaurs are cool."
"I found my first dinosaur bone when I was 6…Ever since then I've been interested in dinosaurs."
"I would give ten years off the beginning of my life to see, only once, Tyrannosaurus rex come rearing up from the elms of Central Park…We can never have enough of nature."
"If history repeats itself, I am so getting a dinosaur."
At the end of the Cretaceous period, about 65 million years ago, dinosaurs stepped down and gave the reign of the earth to mammals. So if someone says something is "like a dinosaur," they usually refer to it being out of touch with modern times. We can also use the term to describe technology or trends that have become obsolete.
Using extinct reptiles can be a great way to add humor to the conversation. Read our funny dinosaur quotes below that will make you smile.
"I'm basically a dinosaur. I don't use e-mail."
"If the human race ever stops acting on the basis of what it thinks it knows…then Homo sapiens will be making its application for membership in the dinosaur club."
"I heard that Jesus had a pet dinosaur. Evolution must be a myth then."
"All the explanations proposed…extinction of a plant with apparent laxative properties, in which case the dinosaurs died of constipation."
"Scientists are complaining that the new Dinosaur movie shows dinosaurs with lemurs…They're afraid the movie will give kids a mistaken impression…about the fact that the dinosaurs are singing and dancing?"
"Everybody thinks it's going to be different for them... The dinosaurs thought so too."
"Does the Bible talk about dinosaurs? Yes, there are around twenty mentions of what we would call dinosaurs today. Why isn't the word dinosaur used to describe these animals?"
"In the rare situation a megatsunami washes a T. Rex into your path…you will be killed by the coolest dinosaur ever."
"The dinosaur's eloquent lesson is that if some bigness is good, an overabundance of bigness is not necessarily better."
We can trace the rise of dinosaur popularity to the release of films like Land Before Time in 1988 and Jurassic Park in 1993. The former, a movie showcasing groundbreaking practical effects and early CGI, was an instant hit for all ages and launched the franchise we still watch today. It sparked curiosity and reminded scientists of what could happen if creatures long gone reincarnated in the present.
Read the dinosaur quotes from the lead characters and an extra one from the purple dino we also adore.
"Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together."
"Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the earth."
"God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs."
"Oh boy! Just look at all the good things to eat. I think it would take a dinosaur to eat all of that."
| 1 | Joyce M. Alexander, Kathy E. Johnson, Mary E. Leibham, Ken Kelley, The development of conceptual interests in young children, Cognitive Development, Volume 23, Issue 2, 2008, Pages 24-334, ISSN 0885-2014 |
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